Hong Kong variety show: The mastermind behind the scenes is emerging.

Underground interrogation room.

The glass of "absinthe," symbolizing an alliance, was drunk, and the tense killing intent in the air finally dissipated somewhat, replaced by a subtle atmosphere of business cooperation.

"Now that we're all in the same boat..."

The fourth brother (Rum), wearing a Cao Cao mask, put down his wine glass, clapped his hands, and gestured towards the door, "Then let's not keep the other guest waiting too long. A family should always be together."

The heavy, soundproof iron door was pushed open again.

Two burly men wearing black hoods and tactical vests walked in, with Tian Yangsheng leading the way. He was carrying a man who was also wearing a black hood and had his hands tied behind his back, like a sick chicken waiting to be slaughtered.

The man was trembling all over, his mouth stuffed with a rag, and he was making "muffled" whimpering sounds, clearly terrified.

"Untie him." Fourth Brother waved his hand.

Tian Yangsheng roughly ripped off the black cloth covering the man's head and cut the ribbon.

The glaring light made the man squint instinctively. He shrank his neck in fear until his vision gradually cleared and he saw the familiar figure sitting in the chair opposite him.

"Awen! Awen, are you alright?!"

Wu Xin (Uncle Xin) practically sprang from his chair, wanting to rush over to check if Ruan Wen was injured, but the ropes binding him made him stumble. "Did they do anything to you? Did they hit you? If those beasts dare to lay a finger on you, I'll fight them to the death!"

Looking at the disheveled old man in front of her, his face covered in cold sweat, yet his first thought was to protect her safety, a barely perceptible warmth flickered in Ruan Wen's originally icy eyes.

In this world, Wu Xin is her only family since her father died.

Although he was boastful, conservative, and sometimes clumsy, his loyalty to the Ruan family was truly ingrained. When his father died in a conspiracy in the Golden Triangle, and the family fell apart, only this old butler, who only knew how to paint and repair antiques, remained loyal, taking her in as a child and hiding her away, teaching her skills. He even went so far as to forge documents for low-level gangsters to help her raise her first capital.

"Alright, Uncle Xin."

Ruan Wen put down his wine glass. Although his voice was still cold, it no longer had the sharp edge he had when facing his fourth brother. "I'm fine. They didn't touch me."

Hearing this, Wu Xin finally felt relieved. He let out a long breath and slumped into his chair, only then realizing that his back was soaked with cold sweat.

"It's good that you're alright...it's good that you're alright...Who exactly are they? If they're after money, I still have a few genuine works. They're not worth a fortune, but they could still fetch a few million..."

"Shut up, Uncle Xin."

Ruan Wen interrupted him helplessly, her tone laced with a hint of exasperation, "Do you think everyone is like you, so short-sighted as to only be interested in a few lousy paintings? If you hadn't been so careless and been followed all the way from Macau to Lamma Island, would we have been invited here for tea?"

"Huh? I..."

Wu Xin froze, his face instantly turning bright red, as if he had choked. He opened his mouth, wanting to explain that he had been very careful, but seeing Ruan Wen's determined gaze, he lowered his head guiltily.

"It's all my fault...it's all my fault for being careless..." Wu Xin slapped his thigh in frustration. "I shouldn't have been so greedy and bought that roast goose..."

"Alright, there's no point in saying all this now."

Ruan Wen sighed, regaining her capable and strong-willed demeanor. "Since we're here, let's make the best of it. Besides, tonight isn't such a bad thing. Uncle Xin, let me introduce you. This is Mr. 'Rum,' from the 'Brewing Company.'"

"A winery?" Wu Xin looked bewildered.

"From today onwards, we are partners of the distillery," Nguyen Van said succinctly. "Next month, we will receive a batch of controlled color-changing ink and acid-free paper, as well as a genius artist. Your fake document work can stop now; we need to prepare to start making the new version of Franklin."

"Wh...what?!"

Wu Xin's eyes widened, wondering if he had misheard. "Color-changing ink? Acid-free paper? Awen, are you kidding me? Even your father used those things back then..."

"They can get it."

Ruan Wen interrupted him, his gaze sweeping over Fourth Brother, "And it's a large quantity. Uncle Xin, get ready, our era is about to return."

Although Wu Xin was still completely confused, not understanding why being kidnapped had led to a big business deal, he trusted Ruan Wen unconditionally. If Ruan Wen said it would work, then it definitely would.

【Ding--】

[Key plot character detected: Wu Xin]

[Checking in at the movie "Project Gutenberg"]

[Check-in successful!]

[Reward: +1 Free Attribute Points]

At this moment, Fourth Brother stepped forward at the opportune moment, and with an extremely gentlemanly gesture, reached out to straighten Wu Xin's disheveled collar, his movements so gentle that it was as if he himself had not been the one who ordered the binding.

"Mr. Wu, we apologize for any offense we may have caused. However, as you know, the world is a dangerous place. To ensure the safety of Miss Ruan and you, we had to resort to a slightly 'drastic' method." Fourth Brother took out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Wu Xin to wipe his sweat. "We were worried that if you were left alone outside, you might be targeted by other enemies or arrested by the cops. We had no choice but to take this measure for your safety, and our methods were a bit rough. Please forgive us."

Wu Xin rubbed his reddened wrist, cursing inwardly: "I don't believe you! Kidnapping is kidnapping, why make it sound so sophisticated!"

But he was a seasoned veteran, and looking at the menacing guards around him, he dared not show it. He could only force a smile that looked more like a grimace: "I understand... I understand... you heroes are doing this for our own good... Long live understanding!"

Fourth Brother smiled, then turned around, picked up a black briefcase from the table behind him, and handed it to Ruan Wen.

"Miss Ruan, please keep this safe."

Fourth Brother opened the box.

There was no money inside, but a black, brick-like "big brother" mobile phone lying quietly inside.

Unlike ordinary mobile phones on the market, this phone had no trademark and the antenna had been modified, clearly indicating that it was specially made.

"This is the latest satellite phone, resistant to eavesdropping and location tracking."

Fourth Brother explained, "From now on, this will be your only tool for contacting the distillery. If you have any needs or are missing any materials, just call the pre-stored number inside, and I will arrange for someone to deliver them."

Ruan Wen picked up the phone, weighed it in his hand, and nodded in satisfaction: "Very professional."

"There's one more thing," Fourth Brother pointed outside the door, "Our men were very careful with your men on Lamma Island; they were just put to sleep. They should be awake by now and are looking for you like crazy. I've arranged for a speedboat to wait at the pier to take you both back."

Hearing that his men were alright, Ruan Wen's last bit of worry disappeared.

The other party possesses overwhelming military strength, yet chose to exercise restraint. This demonstrates that they genuinely intend to conduct business in the long term, rather than resorting to short-sighted tactics.

"Thank you, Mr. Rum, for sparing my life."

Ruan Wen stood up, straightened the slightly wrinkled hem of her clothes, and regained her cool and noble demeanor.

"Well then, we'll take our leave."

Seeing this, Wu Xin quickly stood up, wishing he could sprout wings and fly away from this awful place immediately.

Fourth Brother made a "please" gesture: "Take care, don't bother seeing me out."

Tian Yangsheng opened the iron gate, revealing a deep and dimly lit corridor outside.

Wu Xin felt like he had been granted a pardon and grabbed Ruan Wen's sleeve, wanting to leave this awful place as soon as possible.

However, just as he was about to step out the door, Nguyen Van suddenly stopped.

She didn't look back at her fourth brother, nor at the bodyguards in black.

Instead, he slowly turned around, his gaze passing over everyone and landing precisely on the huge one-way mirror of the interrogation room.

Her slightly pale but still beautiful face was reflected there, as was the mess in the interrogation room.

But in Nguyen Van’s eyes, it was not a mirror.

That is the entrance to the abyss.

She knew that behind that dark glass, there was a pair of eyes. A pair of eyes that had been watching and manipulating everything from beginning to end, like a god looking down on an ant.

She noticed all the details, including the pauses her fourth brother made after saying a few key words and the occasional red flashes of the miniature earpiece on his ear.

"I know you're there."

Nguyen Van's voice was soft, yet clearly audible in the silent interrogation room.

"I won't pry into who you are, nor will I do anything inappropriate."

Nguyen Van looked in the mirror, slightly raising his chin, as if making a silent declaration of war, or perhaps a proud promise:

"But I will show you my value. I will use that perfect Franklin to prove that I am not just a white glove, but also qualified to be your partner."

"I hope that one day, sooner or later, that door..."

She pointed to the hidden door next to the glass.

"Can you open it for me?"

"I'm really looking forward to having a drink with the real boss, face to face."

After saying that, Ruan Wen did not linger.

She turned around gracefully, her long, black hair drawing a beautiful arc in the air.

"Uncle Xin, let's go."

"Hey! Here... here!" Wu Xin was stunned for a moment, then quickly followed.

With a bang, the heavy iron door slammed shut, and the interrogation room fell silent once more.

Behind the glass wall.

Lu Chen maintained his languid sitting posture, the wine glass in his hand hovering in mid-air, the liquid in the glass rippling slightly from the surprise he had just experienced.

"Boss..."

The fourth brother's somewhat hesitant voice came through the earpiece, "Should I go and teach him a lesson...?"

"Need not."

Lu Chen interrupted his fourth brother, the corners of his mouth slowly turning up, finally turning into a low chuckle full of pleasure.

"Hahaha……"

Great.

That's really impressive.

"This intuition, this courage, truly deserves the title of 'painter'."

"Vermouth..."

Lu Chen raised his wine glass and gently touched it to the empty one-way glass.

The crisp sound echoed in the empty room.

"That's interesting."

Lu Chen stood up, raised his wine glass, and toasted the now empty one-way glass from afar.

"Since you want to see it, then I'll wait."

"But not now."

Lu Chen tilted his head back and drank the red wine in his glass in one gulp.

"Ah Sheng."

Tian Yangsheng, who had been standing in the corner like a shadow, stepped out.

"Boss."

"Send a group of alert men to secretly escort Miss Ruan back to Lamma Island. Once you've confirmed it's safe, they can withdraw. No need for surveillance."

Lu Chen straightened his collar, turned and walked out. "Since you've chosen to trust her, you have to give her enough space. Besides, she's a smart person; she knows what to choose."

"yes!"

As I stepped out of the DOA building, the sky outside was already beginning to lighten.

On the eastern horizon, a sliver of dawn is tearing through the darkness.

A new day has begun.